Selecting Team Gai
by Sincerely C
Summary: Hiruto has entered the Leaf Village and has become a part of it. But what of his past master? And what about the new one he loves? Yaoi NejixOC GaaraxOC References
1. The Arrival

**-Beta- By Gandalf the Grey-Edelwiess**

**-AN- This is AR I believe. It completely ignores the capture of Gaara and the extraction of the Shukaku. This is right after the attempted retrieval of Sasuke and Yamato and Sai are introduced. It does not follow the storyline after that though.**

**This story is about a year and a half old, so please feel free to point out any grammatical/spelling errors or plot holes you find, as I'm doing my best to revamp it and any and all criticism is appreciated. Otherwise, enjoy.**

* * *

The boy walked through the gate of Konoha, wondering what this new place would bring. His master had sent him here for a reason. Why, he still didn't know. He walked past the guards without so much as a sideways glance. They didn't stop him, even when they saw the headband of an opposite village, no doubt having been informed by their Hokage beforehand. He headed for the tall, red tower that looked as if it housed someone important, and hopefully, the one woman who could give him answers.

* * *

Tsunade cursed her luck. This child was to enter her village and live there until the day he died, and he didn't even know it. This village would be receiving a new resident, and as if that weren't bad enough, she hadn't a single team with an empty space to fill. Imagine, the one time she were to win a bet with another person; it is with the Kazekage over who would rank first in the chunin exams. And just as the woman truly believed her luck was beginning to change, she learned that the prize was nothing more than a special jonin that the foreign leader kept around as a bodyguard for some unknown reason. Just as she had always suspected, the second her luck seemed to have been taking an upward turn, something bad would happen, and this proved to be just that. Why would the damned Kazekage give up this supposed gem? Tsunade was positive that there must be something wrong with the soon-to-be new arrival, but what? Before she could venture into all the disfigurations and weaknesses that he could possibly possess, her thoughts were interrupted by the creek of the heavy oak door.

"L-lady Tsunade?" She was quite confused as to why she seemed to frighten the rather small teen; she had always known she was intimidating, but they'd never even met before.

"Enter!" He jumped at the sound, but entered the room, allowing her to get a full view of him. It was instantly obvious as to why Gaara, who was known to appreciate more than just a woman's company, would keep the boy around. He had black hair that grew long enough to lightly touch his eyelids, his body was that of medium build but he was still slim, and his alabaster skin complimented his deep grey eyes.

"Ma'am… Why exactly is it that I'm here?" he asked, shooting her a quizzical glance.

"Well, your master, Gaara has sent you to Konoha to live here," she replied coolly.

"But, why, milady?" Tsunade was at a loss for words at this. There was no doubt that the boy wouldn't respond well to the answer she would give.

"Uh., Well you see…" He stared at her blankly, still waiting for her answer. She decided the best thing to do would be to lie through her teeth. "He has sent you here to relieve us. We have a shortage of ninja, and you are going to stay here for as long as it takes, to help with missions," she added in a rush. She inwardly sighed in relief as he seemed to have found the answer given to be satisfactory. It was strange that she would lie to spare the boy's feelings. She chalked it up to a soft spot she had for children.

"Where will I be staying, milady?" He was definitely polite, obviously well trained by the man he once served.

"I've made arrangements for you to stay in an apartment here in the village. I have also assigned you a guide to help you get the feel of things." Just as she finished speaking, she slammed her fist down onto a button on the desk, making the boy jump once again. She gave him an apologetic look before she heard the buzz and the familiar voice.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade?"

"Sakura, please show our guest, uh… What's your name?" He looked at her for a second, realizing that he had never properly introduced himself.

"I am Hiruto from the Village Hidden in the Sand, at your service milady," he said rather eloquently as he planted himself onto the ground on one knee, and bowed his head to her. Oh yes, he was definitely trained well by the young Kazekage, who she now was positive kept young Hiruto around for far more than to just be a simple bodyguard.

"Yes. Please show our guest, Hiruto around the village, and show him his living quarters as well."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade," she replied as the speaker went silent and the door quickly opened.

"Go on now," she said as she motioned for the boy to follow the pink haired girl. He bowed to her once before quickly moving towards the door in complete silence. "Oh! I almost forgot! Take this, Sakura; he needs a few things to start out!" She tossed the girl a stack of bills. Sakura's hand shot out to catch them; she then simply nodded at the woman in understanding before leading the boy out.

* * *

"How old are you Hiruto?" Sakura asked, attempting to start a conversation yet again.

No response came from behind the pinkette.

"What brings you here?" She tried once more, knowing all too well that this conversation would end just like the others.

Still no response from the boy.

"Are you going to speak to me or are you going to continue ignoring me?" The girl huffed, obviously annoyed at the silence.

Still no response. That was enough to set her off. Sakura had been pointing out the best places to eat, all the important shops and buildings, and other such important information, for the past half hour and each thing she said was met with silence.

"Now listen up!" she shouted as she stopped and turned to face him. "I am _attempting_ to help you and possibly get to know you here, and for the last thirty minutes, you haven't said a word to me!"

"I-I-I" But the poor boy wasn't allowed to finish.

"I have been busting my tail and have gone out of my way to show you certain places that you would've never been able to find on your own! I could quiz you on anything and even if you did manage to find the voice to answer, it wouldn't be right because you haven't been listening!"

He suddenly regained his confidence and defiantly began riddling off facts from Sakura's tour, "Ichiraku has the best ramen in the village. You've been working with Lady Tsunade for about four years now. Iruka-sensei was your teacher back in the academy. Your team number is seven, it is lead by Kakashi-sensei, but is currently being headed by Yamato-sensei. Your team currently consists of yourself, Naruto, and Sai. And whenever you accidentally bring up the name Sasuke, you go silent for approximately seven seconds before you change the subject. Would that be fairly accurate?" She gaped at him for a few seconds. Had he really gotten all that from her simply talking about the village and herself?

"I- I didn't."

"Think I was paying attention? Well you were sadly mistaken."

I'm sorry, but why didn't you answer me?"

"I don't know you," he stated bluntly. "And I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," he added with a teasing glint in his eyes that made Sakura crack a smile against her will.

"Well I'm Sakura. Now you know me, so start answering some of my questions," she replied, still slightly annoyed by his games. She silently prayed that he wouldn't turn out to be another Naruto.

* * *

After hours of talking, teasing, shopping, and a fairly expensive lunch, the last stop on the two's list was at Hiruto's apartment. He entered the small room that was his den and was surprised to find the luggage that he had left at the Hokage's office was already stacked neatly in the center of the floor.

"I can help you unpack," Sakura offered as she set down the bags.

"S-sure…" Sakura glanced at the strangely entranced Hiruto and grew worried as she followed his blank stare towards the top bag. Ignoring the strange feeling in her gut, she grabbed the duffle bag that the boy had been staring at and unzipped it. She instantly noticed a picture framed in beautiful silver, of Hiruto and the red haired Kazekage. Sakura held it up closer to view the rare smile on Gaara's lips, when the boy seemingly broke from his trance and lunged for the frame.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," she stuttered as he grabbed it out of her hand, less in anger, and more in pure desire to hold it.

"It's fine. Um, I think I've got this. You can just go," he said nonchalantly as he stared down at the photograph. Sakura simply nodded and showed herself out. It was now completely obvious what was going on. Even though it was still quite surprising to Sakura, there was no doubt in her mind that the boy had feelings for his old master, whether they had been previously expressed or not was something she would need to find out.

* * *

Hiruto awoke with a start. The loud knocks on his door quickly became evident as they grew louder and more frequent.

"Hiruto! Wake up!" He couldn't help but smile at the familiar voice, his first friend in Konoha. He opened the door to find Sakura charging in his direction, knocking him to the ground.

"What in the hell? You sure are eager to see me." Hiruto smirked up at her.

"Shut up! I was trying to get your attention," she said with a flush as she pushed herself off of the winded boy.

"By breaking down my door?" he asked as she lifted him off of the ground. She motioned for him to sit on the couch that occupied the main part of the room and he happily obliged.

"I came here because Lady Tsunade has a dilemma that concerns you," Sakura started, furrowing her brow as she spoke.

"And?"

"There are actually a few things that you will have to go through. You will have to renounce your loyalty to Suna, and swear your allegiance to Konoha." He jumped a little at this, but she looked him in the eye, warning him to stay quiet, and continued, "You will also be asked to select a team to join, considering that there are no free spaces at the moment. There are a total of three teams that you will be able to choose from. They will be at Lady Hokage's office at two in the afternoon. That is where you will swear allegiance and join a team. It is my duty to make sure that you are there, even if I have to take you kicking and screaming," she added, raising her voice a little to make sure he heard her and understood the severity of it all. He simply nodded, thinking it through in his head. His master _must_ have known of this beforehand.

"Okay. Let's go!" He replied with a wide smile on his face. He figured if Konoha had this type of ceremony then he could do the same in Suna when the whole ordeal was over. He glanced at the clock. It was noon already, he would have to hurry up with lunch and get to the Hokage's office as soon as possible.

Sakura winced at his feigned excitement. He was a terrible actor. It was obvious that he was torn by this new decision, he would have to give up the last part of him that clung to his home; he would have to give up his allegiance to Suna.

* * *

The process was long and boring. Multiple yawns were heard throughout the small group of people that crowded the office. As the ceremony neared an end, Hiruto was asked something he wasn't quite comfortable with.

"Do you swear to protect Konoha throughout all times of war?"

"Yes."

"Do you swear to fight on the side of Konoha throughout all warfare, with no hesitation to kill to protect your fellow citizens of Konoha?"

"Yes."

"Do you swear to fight against the ninja of your former homeland?"

Hiruto hesitated, and the whole room seemed to awake. Tsunade repeated the question, and was once again met with silence. She was now angry at the boy's unknowing disrespect of her village.

Sakura rushed up to him and whispered in his ear, "Gaara knew about this. We are allies and he won't attack us. Just answer." With that, she backed away.

"Yes."

"Very good. Now you will have to choose a group out of the three in front of you." Hiruto turned his gaze to them. The first team consisted of a large boy that was eating out of a bag of chips at the time, an arrogant looking blonde, a brunette that was currently asleep, and a large man with a lit cigarette in his mouth. Not wanting to become a part of the group, he switched his view to that of a mysterious boy with black sunglasses, another scruffy looking boy with a dog, a small pale girl with feauterless white eyes, and a tall woman that looked at Hiruto sympathetically. Hiruto was about to give in and choose them when he noticed a man and his student; both had short black hair and were wearing a green jump suit. A girl with her brown hair pulled up into two buns stood silently beside her master and peer. It was obvious to him that the best choice would be the team led by the tall, beautiful, women until a pair of ivory eyes that were identical to that of the shy girl's, caught his. He looked over the lithe figure of the boy and instantly, without adding much thought to it, stated ,"That one."

Noticing the direction that Hiruto was staring in, Tsunade nodded, grunted, and began filing the paperwork necessary..

"Okay then. Sakura, please take Hiruto back to his apartment now."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade!" The two stood there for a short while as the people slowly filed out, chatting about things ranging from him, to where to go to eat. They were about to take their leave when Neji walked past them out the door, glaring at the boy for a second before leaving.

* * *

"Why'd you choose Team Gai? I was positive that you were going to choose Kurenai and her team."

"I… They looked like a well trained team is all."

"They are one of the best in the village. But I have a feeling that isn't the only reason you chose them, is it?" she stated as she smiled at him slyly.

"W-what? I haven't the slightest clue what you are talking about," he stuttered out his reply a bit too quickly. What did she know? Sakura stared at him long and hard, loving the way she could make him sweat.

"We all saw the way you stared at Neji. I'm suprised you didn't ask for him giftwrapped and delivered straight to your room." He blushed at this. She apparently knew more about him than he had originally thought, but if it had been that obvious, the others must have seen. He was instantly mortified. He held his face in his hands as Sakura smirked at him lightly.

"Is that why he was glaring at me?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure he just wasn't happy to have to meet another person, he's a bit anti-social," The two stopped at Hiruto's door, and exchanged smiles.

"Would you like to come in?"


	2. Meetings and Revelations

Hiruto awoke to the morning light filtering through his eyelids. He rolled over to face the wall and started to drift back to sleep when the covers were pulled off of him, exposing his body to the cool air. A pair of warm hands shook his side as he attempted to blink the sleep out of his eyes. He was awake now, but he wasn't happy about it.

"What in the hell do you want?" He asked, rubbing his grey eyes as they adjusted to the light.

"You not to be late for the first day of training, you moron." He instantly knew who it was and he couldn't stop himself from cringing.

"Five more minutes!" He whined, making a shooing motion with his hand as his head made contact with the feathery pillow yet again. He felt the mattress tilt for a second, and then go completely vertical, leaving him no other option but to comply with gravity and topple onto the floor. He fixed his death glare on the pink haired girl, only to have a tongue stuck out at him. The, now fully awakened and unhappy, Hiruto pulled himself off of the floor and continued to display his anger by throwing one of th discarded pillows at the triumphant girl's head. She quickly dodged it, but she was unprepared for a second one. She simply shook it off and continued with her task of awakening the rather childish teenager.

"Well since you're up, you should get something to eat before you leave, and luckily, you have a friend that just so happened to make you some breakfast that is super delicious," she said in a singsong tone that made him want to nail her with another pillow.

"How'd you even get in here?" he asked nonchalantly. Sakura simply pulled the disheveled Hiruto out of his room and into the kitchen, where an omelet with a side of bacon greeted him, completely ignoring the other ninja's question. As he shoveled down the omelet and bit into the crunchy bacon, Sakura looked him over and was instantly curious about the pinkish scar that seemed to stretch five inches diagonally from his left shoulder blade to his shoulder. Before she could bring herself to ask, she glanced at the clock and couldn't stop a frown from stretching across her face.

"What?" he asked, worried by his friend's suddenly exasperated expression.

"You're going to be late if we don't hurry," she said in frustration, "Put some damn clothes on!" she added, scowling. Hiruto looked down at himself to find he was only wearing his boxers. He dashed into his room, and changed into his new training outfit before heading out the door.

* * *

"How do we know this weakling is even going to show up?" Neji asked, boredom evident in his tone.

"Neji! Don't talk about him like that!" Tenten scolded, she hated when the Hyuuga was in a bad mood. As they began to bicker further on the subject, Hiruto entered the clearing that was the training field.

"Hello?"

"Oh, hello Hiruto," Tenten answered surprised by his silent appearance, turning her attention away from Neji. "I'm Tenten, this is Neji," she motioned towards the boy who now wore his ever present scowl. "Lee and Gai-sensei are doing a couple hundred laps before training," she added nonchalantly as Hiruto looked at her in amazement.

"I beat you again Lee!" A deep, masculine voice bellowed. Hiruto turned to find the pair with the matching green jumpsuits and bowl haircuts standing next to each other, winded but without a drop of sweat on either of them.

"I am sorry Gai-sensei! I will get stronger, starting with five hundred laps around the village right now!"

"Lee! Gai-sensei!" Tenten shouted, trying to get their attention before they started the whole tear filled routine they seemed to go through every morning. "This is our new member Hiruto."

"Ah, yes, I almost forgot, welcome to the team, Hiruto," Gai said confidently as he gave the boy a thumbs up.

"Hiruto! Welcome to the group! You will become much stronger than you ever imagined with us," Lee said enthusiastically to the slightly frightened teenager in front of him. Hiruto regained his composure and stuck out a hand to Lee.

"Thank you for having me on your team," he said happily as a smile crossed his face, waiting for Lee to return the gesture. But instead, tears of happiness streamed down the overly excited boy's face as he tackled the newcomer with a hug.

"Welcome to Team Gai!" he said through tear flooded eyes. Hiruto squirmed in the iron grip of his new teammate and caught a glimpse of Tenten on the floor laughing.

He glared at her, "You could help me, you know!"

"N-No, I really can't," she breathed through fits of laughter as she clutched her sides. Luckily, the youth let go of him and they began the exhausting training session.

* * *

"Do you have special abilities of any kind?" Neji asked with deep frustration after Hiruto fell to the ground after blocking an easily dodge-able blast for the seventh time in the same hour.

"I trained to become a medical ninja for a little while back in Suna," he replied as he pulled himself off of the ground.

"And how well did you do?" the white-eyed teenager pried.

"I was at the top of my class for your information," was the angry reply. Hiruto knew that Neji didn't think much of him, but he would prove him wrong if it were the last thing he would do.

"So why didn't you get through the training? Did you fail out?" Hiruto was silent. He couldn't possibly tell Neji that Gaara had forced him, without much of a fight from the all too willing to please, servant, to quit the training so that they could be with each other more. This thought brought on a pang of loneliness; he missed being held close and loved by his master. Neji's burning stare broke through Hiruto's thoughts. The look of repugnance on the brunette's face didn't help either.

"I had to quit."

"Why?"

"My mast… The Kazekage needed me to guard him, so I had to drop the training in order to do so."

"Hn," Neji replied, obviously feigning the loss of interest.

"Is that true Hiruto?" Tenten asked, having apparently forgotten her spar with Lee. "If it is, you should train with Lady Tsunade, she was a medical ninja. She even trained Sakura," a smile graced his features at the mention of his pink-haired companion's name,

"Could you take me to go see her?" he asked, his smile never fading.

"Sure, let's go," she replied with a grin of her own surfacing. She shrugged at the baffled Neji as she passed by him to help Hiruto off of the ground, and walked off with her new partner. Neji stared at them as they left. What was with him? Why was he the bodyguard of such an important leader if he was practically useless? Why was he so fascinated with Neji that night? Most important of all, why had he almost called the Kazekage his master? It struck Neji instantly, and just as the Hyuuga boy suppressed his gasp, an evil grin spread across his face. This would be fun; this would be the most fun the Hyuuga had in years, in fact.

* * *

"So you want me to train you as a medical ninja?"

"Yes Lady Hokage, I think your training would really help him," Tenten said pleadingly.

"Why should I?" Tenten glanced at Hiruto and then back at Tsunade, before she could say anything, Hiruto spoke.

"I am afraid have no other abilities or training milady. Lord Kazekage pulled me from the medical corps in Suna in order for me to be a full time bodyguard." He stared at her, knowing that she would understand.

"Very well, Tenten, you may go now," Tsunade said exasperatedly. Tenten smiled at Hiruto and bowed to the Hokage before walking out the door.

"Thank you Lady Tsunade, I…"

"You are far more trouble than you're worth. You know that? Sakura! Get in here!" she shouted, not even needing the speaker to get Sakura's attention.

"Yes Lady Tsunade?" Sakura asked through heavy breaths as she burst through the door, her face a shade close to that of her hair.

"Hiruto will be training with me for a while, so you'll be seeing a lot more of him." Sakura couldn't help smiling at this. He would be around all the time when he wasn't training with his team. This would be fun; this would be the most fun the Haruno had in years, in fact.

* * *

Hiruto walked home from the Hokage's tower, his exhaustion beginning to set in. He planned to skip dinner all together and go to bed when he finally got to the apartment, which seemed to be miles away judging by time it took him to get there. He didn't hesitate to quickly open the door and then slam it shut without even using the key, he was too tired for this to register as strange, nearly missing the note that was left on the table as he walked past. How did everyone keep getting into his house? He stopped moving, forgetting about the bed altogether.

Dear Weakling,

Meet me at Ichiraku at nine tonight. If you aren't there, well we may just have to take that up with your _master_.

Neji Hyuuga

Hiruto's breathing stopped at the last word. How did he know? Hiruto glanced at the clock to see the short hand making its way closer to the nine; he had to get there, and fast.

* * *

Neji sat on the stool, the victorious grin never leaving his face as he waited for his victim. Hiruto took the stool next to Neji, nearly silently as he waited for the torment to ensue.

"What is your name?" Neji questioned, staring straight ahead, not bothering to glance at the anxious youth to his left.

"Hiruto Sunaserebu."

"Why are you here?" Neji continued, impatiently wanting to know more.

"My master sent me here to relieve the ninja of Konoha, because of the shortage," Hiruto answered, figuring it wouldn't help to attempt to hide the fact that he was practically owned by another human.

"There isn't a shortage of ninja. You're either lying, or you're just plain stupid." Hiruto's eyes widened at this, assuring Neji that it was the latter rather than the former.

"How did you know the Kazekage before he dumped you here?" he asked, truly letting the words sting the former sand ninja.

"I- I, I worked as a servant to the Kazekage in his mansion, he took a liking to me and…" The disgusted look on Neji's face told him to stop.

"Go." Hiruto happily obliged, rushing out of the shop. He was alone with his thoughts now. Neji hadn't tortured him like he had expected, but he did something much worse. Neji reassured Hiruto's deepest fear that he'd had from day one. In fact, Gaara hadn't sent him here to relieve Konohaa; Gaara had dumped him under the guise of a mission. Hiruto would live here forever; he would live here knowing that his former master and lover had disposed of him here like trash.

After everything that Hiruto had done for him; even after he had saved Gaara's life, he was still nothing to the man, he was just a toy to be used and replaced with a shiny new one. Why did Gaara not love him? Hiruto could still remember the day he nearly sacrificed himself for Gaara. So why would the man that knew so much about being alone leave him without so much as an explanation as to why he was being removed from sight?

'_Gaara readied himself to fight. His sources had informed him of the Sound Village's plans for an attack, and he planned to defend his village. The jinchuriki headed out with his siblings, Hiruto tailing them silently, not wanting his beloved master to get hurt. The siblings met the first wave of attackers and defeated them quickly, sending for soldiers to guard the other borders. All was silent for a while as the moon rose higher and the cold desert wind blew loudly, carrying small traces of the sand with it. Only the sound of their soft breathing and the whispering of a plan between the three broke the silence._

_A large mass of ninja appeared seemingly out of nowhere, attacking each of the siblings with weapons varying from kunai to katana. As each of them took on the enemy with grace and power, a single ninja appeared behind Gaara and prepared to thrust his sword into Hiruto's master. All of his sand occupied at the moment, Gaara would not have been protected, so Hiruto jumped in the way before the sword could plunge into his master. The blade penetrated his left shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain before he collapsed. As he hit the ground, he called out, "Master!"_

Hiruto walked mindlessly towards his apartment, allowing himself to process the information he now had, he was lost and without a purpose now. How would he regain his life? How would he get revenge on he who had loved and left him? The only answer that Hiruto could find was to become a proud member of the Leaf Village. He would gain his revenge by continuing life without the Kazekage, he would thrive in this new place and he would prove that Gaara was just as useless to Hiruto as he was to the young Kazekage.


	3. Painful Memories

The fiery haired girl flashed through the gates of Konoha with speed and grace, eluding the gaze of the nearly asleep guards. Muted footsteps grew faster and faster as the young woman closed in on the designated building. It would only be a matter of time before she got what she wanted and returned to her village. She came to a complete stop in front of the apartment door, checking the surroundings before entering the quiet apartment.

A kunai flew past her head as she entered, connecting loudly with the doorframe; it landed mere inches from her face.

"It's been awhile Nohigake, has it not?"

"It certainly has, Hiruto. You always were good at detecting an intruder. That's why master Gaara kept you around after all," she replied, facing the young man in front of her as he rose from the couch to meet her at eye level.

"You know damned well that he kept me around for more than being a body guard," Hiruto spat out at her with clear disgust in his voice. "Now why are you here? God knows that it isn't for a friendly visit."

"Well can I not visit you every once and a while?" she asked in an almost teasing tone, yet her face soon shifted back to a serious expression. "But yes, I do have orders and I'm sure you know what they are." Hiruto nodded at this. He knew it would come as it always did with the indecisive man that he once loved. "Master Gaara wants you back in Suna, Hiruto. He wants you to come back and assume your position once again. Please do it, Hiruto. We miss you."

"Well excuse me if I don't miss being the servant to him and his family! Now you may stay for the night, but I will not be returning to Suna with you tomorrow." The orange haired kunoichi shook her head at his response.

"You understand that you will be regarded as a traitor in Suna, and that our next talk won't be as allies, Hiruto."

"I am no traitor to my village. I was practically banished there by the Kazekage and I am doing as he first ordered. I've made up my mind. I'm staying here in the Leaf Village and that is final."

"You can't be serious!" Nohigake had come here to retrieve him. She had never once thought that it would fail.

"I am completely serious. Now I am extremely tired from my training today. The couch pulls out into a bed if you would like to stay the night. There are sheets in the linen closet. Good night." Hiruto walked away nonchalantly, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep.

"I'm sorry about this Hiruto. I love you and I hate that we will be enemies in the future… Good night, baby brother…"

Hiruto stopped dead in his tracks. How could this have happened? He wanted nothing more than to keep her here and let her stay and become a villager here, but it wouldn't happen. Tsunade would never steal another village's ninja, and Nohigake would never betray her home. This was unbearable. Life was unbearable and he was in ruins because of that bastard. He wanted to return to his sister and his old life in Suna so badly, but he promised himself revenge and he would be damned if he didn't get it. Hiruto pulled himself away from the living room and trudged to his bedroom where he could perhaps sleep for an hour or two tonight.

* * *

Hiruto awoke to cold air hitting his uncovered back, making the hairs on his neck stand. He still wasn't use to waking up to the cold; the desert had never prepared him for that. Hiruto soon realized that the previous night had not been a dream and that his older sister must still be asleep in the living room. Perhaps he could dissuade her from returning to the wretched Kazekage and live in peace with his new friends here in Konoha.

Hiruto rushed into the living room with all these thoughts of hope running through his mind to find the couch made up and everything exactly in its place. The only thing that proved Nohigake's existence the night before was the note that lay neatly on the coffee table. A simple thank you was scrawled across the piece of paper, followed by "I love you." To think that his sister would now be his mortal enemy killed Hiruto inside. He could never return to Suna; they would consider him a traitor from then on and he had no one that he could trust there anymore. Hiruto felt utterly alone until he heard a loud thump upon his door.

"Hiruto! It's almost ten and Lady Tsunade doesn't like to be kept waiting, you moron! " At least he would always have Sakura…

* * *

"Now focus all of your chakra into your palm like so."

"Like this?"

"Perfect."

Sakura and Hiruto had been training for hours now and he'd finally gotten down the basics of healing. He had originally wished for Lady Tsunade to teach him everything, but he wasn't stupid enough to cross her when the crazily strong woman said that she would only teach him the advanced techniques when he'd gotten the basics down.

"Now that we've gotten the basics of healing, Lady Tsunade can teach you the more advanced techniques later. Before you go off to train with your team, there is one more thing I want to show you." Sakura had a mixture of excitement and seriousness in her eyes; a look that genuinely worried Hiruto.

"What would that be?" he asked curiously, with and underlying tint of caution in his voice.

"Just channel the chakra into your hand like I showed you before. Let it continue through your fingers and let the chakra finally meet at the end, making a fine point. This is called a Chakra Dissection Blade." Hiruto was now determined to copy the technique and set to work, quickly obtaining a shaky, basic version of the jutsu. Sakura smiled widely, knowing that one of them had to, and that Hiruto was trained too well, yet his eyes said it all. Hiruto looked at her and couldn't help but smile back. Sakura was an amazing instructor. The thrill in her eyes when Hiruto finally got the technique right paralleled his own. She loved teaching him and he loved being taught by her. Sakura was in many ways, just like Nohigake.

* * *

"You are utterly worthless Sand Slave." Hiruto pushed himself off of the ground once again, growling at the nickname that Neji loved to call him now.

"I am **not** worthless and if you call me Sand Slave again, I _will_ kill you." Hiruto spat out angrily, trying his best not to lose control and slit the throat of the Hyuuga right then and there.

"Saaand Slaaave," Neji dragged out the name slowly just to piss the other boy off. "What are you going to do about it Sand Slave?" Neji was just begging for it now; he _wanted _to die.

Hiruto ran at the other, preparing to strike, but was tripped up as Neji stuck his leg out in front of Hiruto, sending him toppling to the ground. Hiruto didn't stop though, his onslaught continued for the next five minutes, but Neji found a way to escape each and every attack, all the while successfully making a fool out of the other ninja.

The games were still extremely entertaining to Neji, but Hiruto had had enough. The raven haired boy concentrated the chakra into his hand and allowed it to become a thin blade surrounding it. He charged at the Hyuuga and feigned right, putting Neji off balance and unprepared for the chakra blade that was coming towards him from the left. Hiruto's now deadly hand lunged for the other's face, but he was suddenly met by a leg colliding with his chest, stopping him short.

"Hiruto and Neji! You two should stop fighting all the time or you will never get anything done!"

"Gai Sensei is right you two! You must quit your squabbling and bask in the valor of your youth! If you continue like this, you will never reach the stars and- Mph!" Lee chimed in before having his hand covered by an annoyed Tenten.

"Gai Sensei has got this covered," Tenten told him, exasperation evident in her facial expression and murder showing in her eyes as she looked at the now dumbfounded Hiruto and Neji.

* * *

Hiruto returned to his apartment aching from head to toe, covered in bruises that stemmed from Tenten's fury that was brought about by that dumbass Neji's remark about her hair. Hiruto had snickered for less than two seconds and he instantly felt her wrath. The raven haired boy limped to his door, unlocking it and then collapsing onto the nearby sofa. He lay on his side and stared at the coffee table that now yielded a single, intricately painted china teapot. Hiruto picked it up and turned it around in his hands, stopping at the writing on the side. The words "Demon Teapot" were neatly inscribed in the dainty dish. A sudden wave of realization surged over Hiruto and he hit the floor as a sudden shout of "Demon Tea Set Summoning!" echoed through the small apartment.

"Master Gaara will be pleased to have you back, little brother."


	4. Kidnapped

"Nohigake let me go this instant!" It must have been a little bit after two in the morning judging by the amount of time they had been walking, but Hiruto couldn't be very sure while he was trapped inside of the wooden contraption.

"I would love to little brother, but we both know that this is the only way I'll get you back to Sunagakure," Nohigake replied as she continued on the path that would lead her back to Suna, the Kazekage, and her beloved.

"I see you're still working with Kankuro on your puppet mastery dearest sister. You seem to have it down to an art now." Nohigake silently agreed with Hiruto. It was pretty obvious that she had learned much about puppetry; it was with the genjutsu that Kankuro taught her and the puppet he had given to her that she had managed to capture Hiruto, after all.

"I always knew that you were his favorite. Apparently he liked you enough to give you a puppet of your own. I suppose you get special treatment when you 'service' the nobles like we have, dearest sister." Nohigake solemnly agreed, not willing to start a fight, but not wishing to truly acknowledge his words, no matter how true they were. She felt like nothing more than a puppet at that moment. How was it that Hiruto could manipulate one's emotions so well?

"Well maybe if you're good for lord Kazekage, you'll soon be returned to the top level of the servants," she said in an almost hopeful manner, as if she wanted what she was saying to be true more than she believed it to be.

"I find it funny that by 'be good for', you mean 'sell your body to'," he replied sarcastically from the giant, wooden teapot. "I have to say that I'm impressed that you have the chakra control to drag this giant thing all the way with you. I would think that the chakra strings would soon diminish after exerting yourself. I mean setting up a genjutsu and then walking all the way back to Suna would drain any ninja, but here you are, completely controlling the puppet while walking along. You must be _really_ tired by now." Hiruto prayed this would work, and had his prayers answered as a yawn escaped his older sister's lips.

"Maybe it is time to rest for an hour or two. Hope you're comfortable in there Hiruto, because you'll be sleeping in that puppet till we get to Suna."

"I suppose. Is there any way I could convince you to let me go and join Konoha?" he asked her, inwardly giddy that his plan was working.

"I'm afraid not Hiruto. My loyalty lies with Suna, and you can't change that. But don't worry, when you return home, you'll become loyal to Suna again soon." Nohigake set the giant puppet down next to her as she leaned against a tall, dry tree to rest.

* * *

**Whack! Whack! Whack!**

Hiruto had been at it for nearly an hour now, and it turned out that attempting to break the puppet from the inside, whilst being quiet, was nearly impossible. Using the chakra scalpel, he struck the wood once again, but found no success in the endeavor. Shallow cuts soon widened into larger gashes, but the puppet seemed to be reinforced with a special jutsu, making it nearly impossible to break with a simple technique like the only ones he knew. If only he had stayed long enough for Lady Tsunade to show him how to master that immense strength that she and Sakura shared.

Nohigake stirred in her sleep, causing Hiruto to hold in his breath. As the outside world returned to its previous silent state, Hiruto continued with his mundane and frenzied task. He had to break free before Nohigake could awaken, even if he couldn't escape, he could stall until Sakura noticed his disappearance. He could soon see the rays of sunlight seeping through the small hole in the spout of his prison that was far too small to allow an escape, but gave him a small connection to the outside world. The sunlight gave him a renewed hope and he was soon clawing away at the wall of the puppet again.

A spout shot out of the wall of the teapot, startling Hiruto. He soon realized what it was for and attempted to destroy it. However, his efforts were in vain as the spout shot out a thick, purple mist that had the ninja feeling drowsy.

"I'm afraid it won't be that easy little brother."

* * *

"Hiruto! Hiruto! Answer your god damned door Hiruto!" Sakura was angry. Sakura was _beyond_ angry. Sakura was going to kill Hiruto. The wooden door broke in half with a resonating _**crack**_ as Sakura gave it one last, super powered, knock. She stepped over the wreckage and made her way into the apartment, finding it to be completely empty. It wasn't like Hiruto to leave the door locked unless he was asleep. He didn't know that he had the habit, but it was what the pink haired kunoichi counted on whenever she visited Hiruto's house. So it was extremely odd to have it locked if he wasn't there. Most would have expected nothing of it, but Sakura knew Hiruto too well. He would never remember to lock his door, much less get up early enough to get to a training session with his team or Lady Tsunade. Something was definitely wrong.

* * *

"Sand Slave isn't coming. I knew he was useless."

"Neji, call him that again and I _**will**_ hurt you!" Tenten was already furious at Hiruto for skipping training, and she didn't need Neji to aggravate her any further. Neji backed away from the girl who was already red in the face from what he could only imagine as uncontrollable anger, not wishing to evoke the full wrath of Tenten this early in the morning. He knew he could beat her in full combat with ease, but the girl could and _would _hold a grudge.

The two walked towards the Hokage tower, planning to give the woman a piece of their minds as to where the medic was. Neji was originally against the plan, but was secretly interested in seeing the personalities of the only two women he genuinely feared clash.

"Lady Tsunade!" The blond bolted upright from her nap, quickly wiping the drool from her cheek. A moment of confusion quickly shifted to intense rage. How dare that little tramp yell at the Hokage while she was napping? How dare that little tramp yell at the Hokage in general?

"Don't you dare take that tone of voice with me you little snot! I will beat the living-"

"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune ran in before Tsunade could finish her furious rant and make good on her previous statements. The medic eased Tsunade back to her seat, attempting to block the Hokage's glare at the terrified kunoichi. Neji and Tenten had shrunken away from Tsunade, wanting nothing more than to escape this mad woman.

Sakura ran into the room through the wooden doors, nearly knocking them over, making everyone except for Tsunade jump.

"Hiruto is missing! He isn't at his apartmen-" Sakura's gaze shifted to her friend's teammates. Tenten answered her quizzical stare with a shrug, signifying her ignorance as to the boy's whereabouts. Sakura then gave Neji the same look.

"I don't know where the little failure is. Even if I did, I wouldn't want him found. Hopefully he's dead in a hole somewhere." Neji was soon lifted off of the ground by the throat. Sakura's fist drew back, practically begging him to say something to justify its impending clash with his jaw bone.

"Now you **_will_** listen to me! That is your teammate and our fellow Konoha shinobi. You can dislike him all you want, but badmouth him one more time and I will pull your head out of your ass, a feat you seem to be unable to accomplish, and smash it against the nearest mountainside until said mountain is a small pile of gravel. Got it?" Neji scowled at her, not doubting her for an instant, but refusing to relinquish his pride for even a second in the face of this woman. Sakura focused all of her chakra into her right hand, drawing it back as far as she could for a punch that would surely shatter the Hyuuga's skull. Shizune acted immediately, appearing in front of the two, catching Sakura's wrist as her fist came within an inch of Neji's face, and twisting it, immobilizing her hand and bringing the punch to a halt. Sakura struggled to break free from the medic's grip, but soon had her right arm twisted behind her back and a paralytic coated senbon shoved directly into her shoulder, causing her to lose feeling in her limbs and quickly collapse to the ground. Neji lay across from her, leaning against the wall, holding his throat and sputtering as he attempted to regain his breath in heavy gasps.

Tsunade shook her head at the sight before her. Sakura paralyzed on the floor with Shizune leaning over her, chastising her. Then there was Neji, on the floor, gasping for breath with Tenten chastising him. She rubbed her temples; how was it that the shinobi of her day, emotionless professionals that could work together perfectly, were succeeded by these shinobi? It was definitely time for her sake.

"Shizune, I'll be right back. You three have a half an hour to compose yourselves and act like human beings and not bloodthirsty animals so that we can discuss Hiruto," she said pointedly to the three who had already decided to ruin her day and had driven her to drinking so early. Not that she was complaining at having an excuse for sake.

* * *

Hiruto awoke with an aching in his back and head, accompanied by a foggy feeling that seemed to surround him. His thought process was blocked by the heavy dosage of drug that had been administered to him by the puppet. He suddenly remembered what was happening, and judging by the sun that was high in the sky, he didn't have long.

"Agh!" Hiruto was soon making choking and spluttering noises, moaning and groaning and making quite a spectacle of what seemed to be rather painful fo him. Nohigake was confused and worried by the noises that escaped from the puppet's chamber. "Gake-neechan, please, it hurts so badly!"

"Hiru-kun, are you okay?" They hadn't used their nicknames for each other in so very long. Hiruto must've been in a lot of pain to result to such childish methods. He could've had a bad reaction to the sleeping gas. The Kazekage would surely kill her if Hiruto were dead when she brought him back. But she didn't care about that at the moment. Hiru-kun was hurt badly. Her little brother needed her help.

She began to yank the chakra strings in multiple directions at impossible speeds, undoing the multiple seals that she'd set in place to keep it closed. The teapot opened to reveal Hiruto curled in the fetal position with tear stains on his cheeks, sobbing uncontrollably as he clutched at his stomach as though he had been stabbed there. Nohigake rushed towards him, examining him to see what it could be that was hurting him.

There was something wrong. Not with Hiruto's stomach, but with his hand. It was glowing a bright blue, the same color of her chakra strings in fact. The chakra traveled around his hand, meeting at the end of his fingertips, yet it continued to extend, finally reaching a heightened point a bit further from where his fingers ended. He quickly slashed his hand over her arm, never touching it with flesh, but with the blade. She could feel a sharp pain in her arm and she soon fell to the ground.

_'How could I be so stupid? Why hadn't I recognized this trick?'_

* * *

"You are to return Hiruto to the village at all costs, understood?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama!"

"This is a class B mission if Hiruto simply abandoned the village." Sakura and Tenten winced at the thought of the one they considered a friend betraying them. "It's a class A if a ninja of jonin level was successfully kidnapped. So I expect nothing less than a successful retrieval! You are a four man squad and you should be able to catch him easily! He could have very important information that I don't want to leak out. We may be at peace with Sunagakure, but I want us to cover all our bases!" The four darted out of the building to start their mission.

As they reached the gate, Sakura turned to look at the rest of her platoon. Neji, Tenten, Kiba, and she were responsible for Hiruto's safe return. It was top priority that he was.

"Well the deserter is probably on his way back to Suna with the information, so let's get on with it already," Neji stated bluntly, earning a glare from Sakura and a silent nod from Kiba. If she'd had what she wanted, Neji wouldn't be on the team, but he was the only available jonin at the time and they needed to be deployed quickly. She didn't like Neji, and he definitely didn't like her, but they would have to work as a team.

There was only one thing that she could be certain of in the entire mess. She needed to get Hiruto back from whoever had him. She wasn't going to stand on the sidelines in the fight for her friend. She was not losing another one. Not when she was perfectly capable of dragging him all the way back to the village with just her little finger if that was necessary. She had trained for this kind of situation. She was stronger this time and wouldn't be a burden to anyone. The weakling Sakura had died a long time ago and there was no reviving her.

"Let's move."


	5. Reclaimed

_'Why? Why can't it be as easy as it should be?'_

Her arm was hurting, some muscle tissue had definitely been damaged, and the bone itself might have been fractured. The only thing that Nohigake could be certain of was that it would be a good while before she could use it again, but she would still have to fight.

"I'm sorry, Gake-neechan," Hiruto said, his voice heavy with remorse and sorrow.

"Don't think you can get away with this! I'm not allowing Master Gaara to kill me because of you! I don't care what I have to do in order to catch you!" The fury in Nohigake's voice frightened Hiruto. He couldn't bear the image of his only family being killed by his former lover. He wanted her to come with him, but he knew she wouldn't. The only thing that could be done was to flee.

She stood from where she had fallen, removing a scroll from her back and laying it out on the ground. "Puppet Technique: Satan's Saucer Summoning!"

"Nohigake, I have to go." As the boy turned to leave his sister for the last time, he felt a sharp pain in his left leg, causing him to fall to the ground without warning.

"Now we both have a handicap."

A large, wooden saucer painted the color of porcelain and inscribed with intricacies much like that of the teapot was flying back towards the girl. Nohigake caught it with a sinister smile on her face that caused chills to travel up Hiruto's spine. This wasn't Nohigake, or at least, not the Nohigake he had known. What had happened in his absence? Her right arm lay useless at her side as she threw the disc towards the boy.

As Hiruto stood up to attempt to divert the seemingly harmless projectile, Nohigake pulled a single light blue chakra string connecting her to the disc and gave it a fierce tug. Blades extended from each side of the saucer, threatening to eviscerate the young ninja as it loomed closer.

Hiruto's instinctive reaction was to raise his arm to protect his face, resulting in a large gash. This wasn't good. Every attack that hit meant he was one shot closer to being captured and there would be no rescue coming if they were to step into Wind borders. He had to stall her for as long as was possible if he were to stay in Konoha. There would be no more holding back or hope for his sister joining him once more. There was only one way to escape this, and it was to aim to kill.

* * *

"He's close," Kiba stated as he turned back towards the squad. They had been on the trail for hours and this was the first good news they'd received all day.

"How close?" Sakura asked with a determined look in her eyes and a deep seriousness etched into her features.

"Very." The group began to run towards the scent, hoping to find Hiruto safe and sound, having already defeated his kidnapper, but they walked in on a far more confusing and terrifying scene.

* * *

Hiruto's blood was now making up a good portion of his wardrobe, and he had to blink constantly to fend off the blurry vision. He had lost more blood than he should have and now could hardly feel his legs anymore. It had been painful to use his left leg for awhile now, but that pain was now nonexistent, replaced with a mixture of numbness and extreme aching. He needed to escape, but both of the siblings knew that he couldn't keep rolling out of the way, and that this would be the last hit. Hiruto gazed around one last time, wanting to get a good look at his last moments as a free man.

She threw it one last time and the boy could simply stare at the bladed device rushing towards him. Perhaps he should simply find a way for this to be fatal and put himself out of his misery. Would that make it better?

A large windmill shuriken shot out in front of his face, blocking the saucer from hitting its target.

"Back off." That voice… Could that voice really be Sakura?

"Sakura!" Hiruto cried out, so glad to have finally been saved by the pink haired kunoichi. If there was one person he could count on, it was her.

He spent a moment of reflection on what wonderful people he had met since his banishment to Konoha. He then allowed himself to fade into the peace and tranquility of unconsciousness. Everything was okay now.

* * *

"Who the hell are you?" Nohigake asked, eyeing the girl who dared to interfere with her plan.

"I'm Sakura Haruno of Konoha. My mission is to retrieve Hiruto." Her emerald eyes glared at the red head,

"Cute." Nohigake was almost amused at this girl and her confidence. She had obviously never battled a puppet master.

Before the rest of her team could begin their attack, Sakura motioned for them to stay in place. This was her fight. They reluctantly surrendered to her wishes and waited on standby.

"Tenten, take Hiruto to a secure location with Kiba and the come back here." Tenten and Kiba nodded, collected Hiruto, and left. Sakura made no attempt to further instruct her team. Her head was now fully in the battle.

_Channel the chakra to your outer extremities. Feel the flow of energy to your hands and feet. Then all you have to do is, __**punch!**_

The ground shook as Sakura charged forward and allowed her fist to connect with the redhead. However, the young woman disappeared as the gloved fist of the pink haired kunoichi would have made contact and was replaced by a rather large wooden teapot. Before Sakura could stop it, the teapot opened up and captured her. Nohigake reappeared next to it and began making several hand signs.

Neji instantly activated his Byakugan. _'Every puppet has one, but where's this one's?' _He eyed the entire puppet, searching for a single spot that could be used to destroy it. His eyes moved to a small spot directly in between the two points in which the handle connected to the body of the teapot-puppet. Realizing that he was running out of time, Neji quickly threw a kunai at the kunoichi, forcing her to cease her hand signs and dodge.

"Bastard," she mumbled as she moved out of the way. With a kunai of her own in hand, Nohigake charged the long-haired ninja.

Neji quickly countered, tripping her up and gently tapping her left shoulder. "You fight like your brother, Sand Slave."

This response angered the girl, and though both of her arms were now useless, Nohigake flipped over and kicked Neji in the stomach. Neji muttered curses underneath his breath and turned away from her, no longer perceiving her as much of a threat as her puppet, the ninja turned his attention to the teapot that currently held Sakura. He implored his Gentle Fist Technique in his attempt to smash open the teapot, but it only seemed to weaken the chakra infused wood.

"Sakura, use one of your punches on _this_ point," he instructed the kunoichi, tapping on the point he mentioned.

Sakura did as she was told, breaking open the puppet with a sickening _crack_ reminiscent of a shattering human skull, a sound that most ninja had grown familiar with. The puppet soon dissipated into a puff of smoke and the two turned their attention to the Sunaserebu. Tenten, having returned from relocating Hiruto, took in the situation and soon stood with her other teammates, looking down on their new prisoner.

* * *

"What do we do now?" Kiba asked as he hoisted Hiruto up and over his shoulder, not paying any attention to the bloody clothing of the smaller teen.

"Tsunade will want us to take the prisoner and Hiruto back to Konoha," Neji replied as he carried the, now tied up, Nohigake on his back. Sakura nodded and they began the long trek back to the village.

Before they could create any real distance between themselves and the Land of Wind, they were intercepted by two Sand Nin and non other than Kankuro.

"By decree of the Fifth Kazekage and the Wind Daimyō themselves, Nohigake Sunaserebu is property of the Land of Wind and the Village of Sunagakure and is to be immediately returned to the village," Kankuro read out proudly, seemingly not noticing who it was he was talking to.

Sakura quickly grew angry and prepared to put Kankuro in his place, but Neji held her back with one hand and untied Nohigake with the other.

"Take her, but she will be listed as an A-rank criminal in the Land of Fire and if she is seen within the borders of it, she will be arrested, and no decree by any Wind official will be able to save her, is that understood?" Neji spoke out. Kankuro nodded at Neji in a silent understanding and thanks as he held Nohigake close to his body in a sensual manner. She pressed her face into his chest and they were then gone in a puff of smoke.

"What the hell was that!" Sakura screamed out in protest.

"That was me preventing a war between our lands! Now you have been given most of the control in this because Hiruto is your friend, but he has been successfully recovered, and as the Jonin, **I** am to act as the leader whenever we are in contact with potentially hostile ninja. Now you _will_ be quiet and tend to Hiruto as a **medical** ninja, which is what you are here as. Understood?" Neji was hostile now, and Sakura soon realized that she was out of turn. She silently nodded her head in defeat and began to view Hiruto's wounds as he was carried on Kiba's shoulders, back to the village.

They had successfully retrieved Hiruto, but there were still plenty of questions that needed to be answered and could only be answered by the currently unconscious boy.

* * *

**Sorry for such an impossibly long time between chapters, but I finally had the will to continue with this. I'm not going to promise anything, but I have all summer to work on more of this story, so I'll hopefully have a few more chapters out before fall.**


	6. Returned

**So I'd like to apologize greatly for such a long delay in updating, but I hope that I can update with more frequency, because this long period of delay was not only ungodly but just plain rude on my part, so I apologize for that.**

* * *

Hiruto lay in the hospital bed, struggling against the restraints to the best of his ability, but the mixture of blood loss and overexertion made his efforts futile.

"Why am I being held here? I've done nothing wrong!"

"You've lost a lot of blood and you've been drugged. You need to be examined and healed before we can release you. As for the restraints, we simply need to be sure that nothing was administered to you that would make you violent or belligerent. Your patience would be appreciated," the nurse replied calmly as she finished healing him with the chakra flowing from her hands to his wounds. Had he not been so exhausted, the boy would have marveled at how easily the woman had done it. She soon left and Hiruto was alone with his thoughts. He needed to have his questions answered, but none of his friends seemed to be anywhere near. He let out a discontented sigh as his teammate appeared through the door.

Hiruto was instantly sobered by the appearance of Neji in the room. The Hyūga wore no evil smirk or hostile stance, but Hiruto still did not relish his vulnerable position while the older male was in the room.

"I don't suppose that you can fill me in on the details of what happened to me."

"I'm not here to inform you of anything. You'll have to ask one of your friends for that. I came here simply to apologize for thinking you were a spy or a traitor. You obviously fought the best of your ability to stay loyal to Konoha. I find that honorable in its own right. Too bad that your master didn't drop off your sister, though. She must've gotten all of the combat skill. It seems you only got... looks." With that semblance of a compliment, the Hyūga's face flushed and he quickly took his leave.

Hiruto was still too hazy to fully understand what was happening, so the ninja resolved to think later and wait for Sakura instead of worrying over whatever oddity had just taken place. He waited in a huff, his thoughts drifting from his hazy last moments of consciousness, to Sakura, to Neji and his odd apology. After what seemed like an eternity had passed, the ninja's eyelids grew heavy and he drifted off into a deep sleep.

* * *

Hiruto had never known his parents, this much he knew.

The rest had always been foggy. Why was his clan always treated so poorly by the other citizens of Suna, even though they all had jobs working for important members of the society? Why was it that at a young age both he and his sister had been taken away from their clan to be trained as bodyguards for two of the Kazakage's children?

None of these things were ever answered for him, even after Gaara had become Kazakage and had every authority to give this information to his closest servant. Hiruto was aware, however, that their clan's name literally meant sand slave, making Neji's previous insults twice as biting Ever since he could remember it had been Nohigake and himself fending for themselves and their charges. They'd never truly made a name for themselves in any kind of combat, but it seemed that they had both found a way to succeed where others couldn't. It seemed as though they had made an unconscious agreement to sleep their ways to the top.

There was no doubting that it had worked. For awhile.

Hiruto suddenly remembered the happenings of nearly a year ago, before it was all so complicated.

_The desert moon seemed closer than ever to the boy, and he was surprised to find that he and Gaara had been allowed to walk the outskirts of the village without any kind of heavy surveillance. Hiruto had felt so important, so privileged to be able to have a moment alone with his master._

_They soon found a spot on the desert floor to sit down and simply gaze at the moon. Hiruto had been glad for a moment of relaxation. Though he had been given days to sleep whilst Gaara was out performing his duties as Kazekage, Hiruto was often kept awake by Gaara's insomnia, doing his servantly duty to keep the man entertained throughout the night. Not that Hiruto could be heard complaining, he was **very **patriotic when it came to this duty._

_Soon, the servant drifted off as he leaned against his master's chest, enjoying the warmth of Gaara's body in the now chilling desert air. He awoke to the feeling of the Kazekage running his hand through the ninja's raven locks, a genuine smile played across his face, distorting the 'love' tattoo on his forehead. Hiruto leaned up to capture his master's lips._

* * *

Hiruto awoke with a jolt in a cold sweat.

Sakura woke at the same time and, blinking the sleep out of her eyes, smiled at him whilst rising from her chair to give him a bone crushing hug.

Hiruto was pleased to find that the restraints were undone. Rubbing his wrists, the ninja questioned his friend who gave him a brief description of the events that had transpired since he had gone. The ninja was awash with a feeling of relief and happiness at the news that neither Sakura nor Tenten had doubted his loyalty to Konoha.

"Hiruto, there's not much I know about you and I want to know everything. There had to be a reason for all of this and I'm sure I could help if you gave me the info." Before Hiruto could respond to the kunoichi, an Anbu with a porcelain mask of what Hiruto could only guess was a cat's face appeared behind her with a scroll.

"Lady Hokage has requested your appearance in her office, Miss Haruno." Sakura frowned and waved a goodbye as she left. Once the girl and the Anbu had exited, the kindly nurse from earlier came in and informed Hiruto that he would be discharged within the hour, provided he could stand.

Hiruto made the walk to his apartment slowly, enjoying the cool night as he moved casually through the streets.

When he reached his apartment, he found that everything was back in its place. The fact that anything had transpired would seem unreal after looking at the pristine quality of his home. Without thinking about much else, Hiruto stripped and fell into bed.

* * *

After a couple days of recuperation, Sakura was back to drag the ninja out of his bed to take him to train with his teammates and learn the finer intricacies of healing from Lady Tsunade.

So far his favorite activity was to spar with Neji who seemingly had developed a deeper respect for him. Gai Sensei, however, wanted to see how the two of them would work as a cohesive unit in fighting an enemy, so he partnered the two up against Lee and Tenten.

* * *

Hiruto got back up into a fighting stance after being knocked to the ground by one of Lee's kicks. He dodged another Leaf Whirlwind attack (the name of which he knew because Lee screamed it every time he executed the move) and countered with a few decisive blows, none of which seemed to have any kind of effect on the fighter. Neji wasn't having any better luck with Tenten, whose long ranged attacks evaded his gentle fist, though he wasn't getting roughed up as badly.

Deciding that he couldn't possibly stand Lee's onslaught, the dark haired ninja did what he thought would be best. Hiruto gradually lost ground in blocking the taijutsu master's attacks, angling himself towards Neji so that he was slowly making a backwards approach towards the Hyūga. Before long the two were nearly back to back and when faced with Neji's complaints Hiruto only told him that this was part of his plan.

Lee flew towards the ninja and Hiruto's plan was now officially in action. The ninja rolled out of the way just in time for Lee to miss him completely charge into Neji. The ensuing chaos was just enough distraction for Hiruto to sneak out of the clearing.

Tenten laughed hysterically as her teammates attempted to untangle themselves from one another. Neji cursed Hiruto and Tenten heavily as the disgruntled ninja attempted to extricate himself from his green clad teammate.

Before the weapons expert was aware of what was happening, she felt a hand grab her shoulder while a kunai was pressed to her throat.

"Neji, now!" Hiruto yelled. Neji understood and immediately began striking Lee's arms and legs with his Gentle Fist, effectively immobilizing the ninja.

"Well done, boys!" Gai exclaimed as he dropped from his treetop perch.

Neji glared at Hiruto, who wore a triumphant grin as he released Tenten. The Hyūga couldn't help but flash a small grin at winning a competition that he was sure the weakling would have ruined for him.

* * *

"You're quite the strategist." Hiruto jumped back at the sudden sound. Obviously Hiruto would have to be more mindful of his surroundings on his walk home

"Thank you," the ninja replied to Neji. He felt triumphant, having exceeded everyone's expectations and defeating an opponent obviously better suited than he was to the challenge. Neji started to speak but suddenly grimaced and held his shoulder. "You're hurt. I'm sorry, it was the only way I could think of getting the both of them distracted." He cringed a little bit at the thought that he had harmed Neji, but, wouldn't that have been just fine with him a week ago?

"I'm perfectly fine," Neji lied through his teeth. His lie was exposed when he accidentally brushed against one of his larger bruises with his hand, eliciting a sharp inhale from the jonin.

"My apartment's only a block away. I can heal you there." The Hyūga was about to argue when he was actually lifted off of the ground by his fellow ninja. Hiruto's cheeks flushed but he refused to put the other down until they had stepped foot into his apartment.

"I'll need to see your bruises," the ninja stated in business-like manner. Neji nodded and took off his shirt. This was nothing new to him; he'd been healed many a time before, but this felt, different to the Hyūga. Perhaps it was that this was a less impersonal setting. This was someone he knew, in their own home.

Or perhaps it was the not-so subtle looks that Hiruto had been giving him. Neji had dealt with these for a while now, from both male and female, but it seemed all the more flattering from someone whom he still considered a rival if not an enemy. It gave Neji a new power over the other. Not necessarily one he wanted to exert, but it definitely gave him a feeling of security knowing he had one more of Hiruto's weak points. After all, Byakugan users were experts at finding and using weak points.

* * *

Neji was... unbelievable. Hiruto wished only that he'd had a photographic memory. The boy casually scanned his teammate's torso, pretending to analyze the contusions that were there, but mostly drooled over the rippling muscles in Neji's back and the defined abdominal muscles that the boy possessed. He quickly reminded himself of how Sakura could instantly see how he'd shamelessly stared at Neji when he'd first selected his team and did his best to reel himself in.

The victorious smirk on the long haired ninja's face, however, informed Hiruto that it was too late. His cheeks flushed with color as the ninja put his head down and focused on his hands. _Feel the chakra flowing from deep within your core into your palms. Now imagine a blue light emitting from them and healing the wounds they touch._It was happening! Hiruto could actually see the bruises heal at an accelerated rate. Going from a deep, frightening purple to a sickly yellow and then eventually fade away into nothing.

Neji was grateful for the service that Hiruto provided him. Almost too much so. The ninja spent the next couple of minutes stating that he'd never felt better, all while stretching in ways that showcased his lean, muscular build and caused Hiruto's heart to race a little bit. The Hyūga slipped his shirt back on and Hiruto went out of his way to memorize every inch of the other ninja's body in those last few glorious seconds.

"Thank you, again," Neji said to the other boy sincerely.

"Any time!" Hiruto replied with a smile, secretly hoping that there would be many more times.

Hiruto closed the door behind Neji and sunk to the ground. This would be an issue in the future.

* * *

Neji heard the door shut behind him and smiled to himself as he walked back to the Hyūga compound. This would be entertaining in the future.

* * *

**Please review. I'd love to receive criticism, thoughts, suggestions. Thank you for reading.**


	7. Taunted

For winning the competition with their teammates Gai-sensei agreed to take Neji and Hiruto out for dinner the next day at Ichiraku. Gai was more than happy to buy dinner considering the fact that the two actually worked together instead of attempting to kill one another. They now truly had a chance at being a solid and successful team.

Gai's seemingly endless speech about how a team must 'bask in the glory of their youth and focus on their ability to become a solid unit' was cut short by the appearance of a masked man with ashen hair.

"Gai, I think you're students understand the 'importance of their youth,'" the man cut in with a smile that could only be seen in his uncovered eye. Hiruto looked behind the jonin and found that Sakura and her teammates had arrived. He ran to greet the girl who received him with a smile.

"Kakashi-sensei was treating us to dinner. What are you doing here?" Hiruto explained his and Neji's victory over their teammates to Sakura, who couldn't help but laugh at the way that her friend had solved the problem.

"Remind me not to go on a mission with you." Hiruto realized that Kakashi must have overheard their conversation and couldn't help but blush at the comment.

Conversation quickly ensued throughout the group and Hiruto was introduced to Sakura's teammates. He was especially fond of the blond haired boy, Naruto. Hiruto quickly realized that this was the Naruto that Gaara would often speak of. Though Naruto was so vastly different from his master, Hiruto couldn't help but be reminded of Gaara by this excitable boy. Sakura's other teammate, Sai, was also enjoyable. He was quieter than Naruto, talented, and beautiful in his own right. He just seemed to lack personality and tact. Though it was sometimes hard to see, Gaara definitely had a personality.

Sakura couldn't help but notice that while Hiruto seemed to be enjoying everyone's company, he couldn't keep his eyes off of Neji. What with all of the horrible things that Hiruto had to say about the boy before he had been abducted, it seemed unlikely that he was still attracted to the Hyūga.

Kakashi leaned in to whisper to the pink haired kunoichi, "Your friend obviously has a type." It seemed as though Sakura wasn't the only one to notice, but what did her sensei mean by that?

"It's really late. I should go. Nice to see all of you." Sakura quickly rushed out of the small restaurant. After what Sakura assumed was an equally quick excuse, Kakashi followed her out.

Sakura pretended not to notice the jonin following her until they were in a relatively empty alleyway.

"What did you mean by that?" she asked as she whirled around.

"What did I mean by what?" the jonin jokingly replied as he halfheartedly flipped through his pornography.

With little patience for her sensei's games, Sakura knocked the book out of his hand, earning an annoyed sigh from the man. "You know exactly what. Now talk."

"What I was saying is your friend seems to enjoy those that are very regal in appearance and stature. Self-importance seems to be attractive to him. He also seems to like boys, but that was more of a secondary assumption." The man smiled brightly with his eye when Sakura gaped at him in disbelief, knowing that such a child was leading her and her teammates. It was remarkable to her what a sarcastic ass he, a high ranking ninja, was capable of being.

"You have to know something about him. I hardly know anything and you already seem to know what he did back in Suna." Sakura was desperate for information and Kakashi most likely had plenty of it.

"Well your friend Hiruto worked as a body guard for the current Kazekage, starting at around age ten. It seemed that once Gaara reached puberty he and your friend grew _very _close. He and his sister were selected for such high positions mostly because of the fact that their parents were skilled in battle and actually died protecting Gaara's father. They come from a clan of Suna's civil servants." Kakashi, satisfied that he had told the girl what she wanted to hear, bent over to pick up his book. Sakura, however, grabbed the book from his hand and demanded more information.

"Belligerent today, aren't we? That time of the month? Fine. His clan was actually taken in by Suna a couple years before the First Shinobi World War. They were dying out due to constant attack from other clans. They agreed to be loyal to Suna and be their slaves for half a millennium in exchange for citizenship for all of their clansmen and descendants. Thus, their name was changed to Sunaserebu, meaning "Sand Servant". The people of Suna weren't all too happy about the idea and to this day many of the civilians and ninja treat the Sunaserebu clan with distaste." Sakura was overwhelmed by all of this information. "Are you happy now?" Kakashi asked as he angrily snatched his book from the girl's hand and walked away.

Sakura didn't know how she felt, but it certainly wasn't happy.

* * *

Hiruto definitely wasn't happy. After Sakura and Kakashi had abruptly excused themselves the conversation quickly turned towards the young ninja.

"So how's Gaara?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"How long were you his lover?" Sai asked over his sketchbook before Hiruto could respond.

Shaken by the blunt question Hiruto decided it was best to lie. "The Kazekage is doing well, Naruto, and I wasn't."

The raven haired boy cut his teammate a glare when the Hyūga snorted.

"How does your master feel now that you're attracted to your teammate?" Sai asked rudely. Neji choked while Hiruto resolved to curl up in a ball and die. When the ninja realized that curling into a ball and dying wasn't a very viable option, he decided to lie to Sai once more.

"Gaara was not my master and I am most certainly _not _attracted to my teammate."

"Why not? Tenten's pretty." Hiruto thanked the gods that Naruto wasn't the most perceptive.

"I think it's time we go, boys," Gai mercifully suggested as he threw the money on the counter. Hiruto and Neji quickly waved their goodbyes and ran out after their sensei. "I'll see you two in the morning for training, so try not to... stay up too late." Gai punctuated this remark with a wink and a thumbs up that had both of the boys red in the face.

Neji looked at his teammate as their teacher walked away. "We never speak of this, understood?"

Hiruto nodded his head furiously as he ran off in the direction of his apartment.

* * *

The next day Hiruto awoke to the bright sun filtering through the part in his curtains, blinding him. He resolved to cover the window as he rose and dressed. Today he was to spar with his teammates again and hopefully practice some of the medical jutsu he'd learned.

* * *

Hiruto landed another blow to Neji, if only a glancing one. It was odd that the medic-nin in training would have this much ease. Unless Neji was ill, there was no way that he should be this tangible. Even when Hiruto couldn't stand his teammate, he couldn't help but admire the Hyūga's grace in movement. The long haired nin could easily spin out of the grasp of the other ninja with the simplest ease. It often frustrated and fascinated the teenager. He'd seen amazing feats of speed while in Suna, in fact Neji wasn't anywhere near the fastest that he'd seen, but Hiruto had never witnessed so much grace and power combined into a fighting technique. The way he was fighting at the moment was just sloppy.

Hiruto would land glancing blows that were enough to maybe damage Neji's clothing, but never actually physically harm the ninja. Was the older boy toying with the him?

Hiruto was actually becoming angered by this. Did Neji actually find him so weak that the Hyūga felt the need to go easy on him? It was one thing to taunt Hiruto, but to completely blow him off in this manner had Hiruto seeing red.

The Sunaserebu decided to utilize some of his new found knowledge. He would practice his medical jutsu once he made Neji require it.

The, now furious, boy channeled his chakra into his palms, forming a chakra blade on his left hand. He then rushed at his teammate, ready to cut at any part of the Hyūga he could manage to damage. Neji countered with a Vacuum Palm that the younger ninja just barely managed to jump over as he continued his charge. As Hiruto closed in on the older boy, Neji prepared to knock him out.

Lee, Tenten, and Gai paused their own training to watch this. They were used to the rivalry and screaming of curses between the two boys, but this was one of the more intense sparring matches. While no one wanted to see their teammates injured, it was definitely entertaining to see Neji and Hiruto battle each other when they got serious.

Hiruto was within arm's length when Neji finally decided to strike. The white eyed teen extended his open palm out to meet the other's chest, but before contact could be made Hiruto's chakra blade dissipated and he rapidly hand-signed, quickly disappearing, a log taking his place. The Hyūga's eyes became wide as his palm collided with the log, making an audible 'thunk'.

Neji whirled around, ready taunt Hiruto for using such a cowardly technique, but was instead met with Hiruto's right fist striking him, with surprising force, right in the stomach. The Hyūga's eyes bulged and he inhaled loudly as he collapsed to the ground.

Hiruto turned to his friends, proud to have not only bested Neji, but to have shown off his chakra enhanced strength. Sakura and Tsunade would be so impressed at how quickly he'd learned it. The only drawback to the technique was that his chakra control was greatly lacking compared to his teachers' and he was drained by the match.

The ninja turned to his teammate to help him. Hiruto was surprised to see that not only was Neji standing up straight, but he had taken his shirt off to examine the damage of his teammate's punch and there was a fire in his eyes.

The Hyūga gazed down with an impressed look at the rather large bruise forming on his toned stomach. He then redirected his gaze towards Hiruto, who backed up considerably when he saw the look the Hyūga was giving him. "Just know that after I'm done paying you back for that, you'll be healing this."

Hiruto barely had the chance to nod before Neji began his onslaught with dangerous speed. At first the Hyūga merely desired to cause the raven haired boy pain, striking him every but the chakra points that would deaden his limbs, but soon he'd figured it would be funnier to watch the boy struggle to defend himself with a deadened limb or two.

Neji eased off of Hiruto long enough for the, now bruised and beaten, boy to attempt to strike back, resulting in the Hyūga striking him with an open palm right on the chakra point above his left leg, causing the ninja to lose his balance and fall forward. In an attempt to save himself, Hiruto wrapped his arms around Neji's neck, bringing the other boy down with him. Hiruto found himself face down in Neji's chest, a position that, while not necessarily uncomfortable, would most likely not end well for the younger boy. The medic-nin in training attempted to extricate himself from his teammate, but the beating he'd taken, combined with depleted chakra reserves, left the boy face down in his teammate's body once more.

Hiruto was only rescued from the, admittedly enjoyable, position when Tenten came over to help him up. The boy's teammates helped lift the boys and congratulated each of them on their fighting ability and a sparring session well done. Gai went on and on about improvement and youth and the like, but Hiruto was more focused on the smirk that Neji had on his face whenever he caught Hiruto staring at his shirtless form. Hiruto could tell Neji and himself that he was merely inspecting the wounds on Neji's body, but he had a feeling that not even Naruto would be naive enough to believe that.

* * *

Hiruto insisted that he could walk himself home. It was, after all, his only time where he could really relax and think about the day, but the fact that he could still barely walk made his arguments go unheard. Though Tenten and Lee generously offered to walk the ninja home, Neji was persistent in his argument that he had done the damage, so he would walk his teammate home. Though Tenten argued against it and threatened Neji's life if Hiruto were to be hurt during this walk home, Gai agreed wholeheartedly, claiming that it was a great way to "maintain the youth of their blossoming friendship and rivalry," whatever that meant.

Though Neji had been merciful enough to put his shirt back on before the two left, it didn't help Hiruto at all that he was actually flung onto Neji's back and was carried home. Hiruto could actually feel the muscles of the Hyūga's back move with each step and leap from rooftop to rooftop. The boy attempted to reason with himself that he was exaggerating his teammates beauty, because obviously no loving deity would make someone so horrible be physically perfect, but the contorting muscles of Neji's back against Hiruto's stomach and the faint smell of lavender in his long brunette hair seemed to contradict all reason.

Neji smirked as he opened the unlocked door to Hiruto's apartment. For a ninja the boy was absolutely terrible with security. He dumped the younger boy onto the couch and proceeded to take off his shirt.

Hiruto was too surprised by suddenly being thrown onto the couch to truly comprehend what was going on. He did, however, understand that they were in his apartment, he was sore, and Neji had no shirt on. Before he realized what he had done, Hiruto let out a loud, satisfied sigh at the sight in front of him. His face flushed and he instantly regretted what he had done without thinking as a satisfied smirk graced Neji's nearly perfect features.

"While I appreciate your enthusiasm, you're supposed to heal me, not just enjoy the show."

Hiruto's face flushed even brighter as he attempted to cover his face. "I can't."

Neji's smirk faded. "Why not?"

Hiruto looked the other boy up and down rather shamelessly before responding, "My chakra is all gone."

The teenager sneered at his teammate. Useless. "Well I'm not exactly in the condition to go back to the Hyūga compound, so I suppose I'll be staying here then."

Hiruto agreed rather too eagerly and Neji couldn't help but laugh at his teammate, despite his frustrations.

"You'll pay for this inconvenience," the white eyed ninja promised as he threw Hiruto onto his bed. Hiruto quickly stripped off his shirt, revealing his large scar to the Hyūga as he left the room.

"Whatever," the raven haired boy replied as Neji left the room.

* * *

_Neji removed his shirt for the medic-nin to get a better look at the large bruise that had formed on the older boy's stomach. Hiruto channeled the chakra into his palms and allowed it to flow over Neji's perfect abdominal muscles and make the large bruise dissipate. Neji, once more, thanked Hiruto furiously for the treatment and was so overjoyed that he openly hugged the boy._

_"I thought you were 'going to make me pay for this inconvenience'," Hiruto teasingly mocked his teammate._

_"Oh, I still plan to," the older boy replied with yet another smirk as he pushed the younger ninja onto the bed. Hiruto exhaled loudly as Neji removed the raven haired teenager's shirt. The white eyed nin caressed his teammate, his fingers running gently over the scar on his right shoulder. The Hyuga's lips pressed gently to Hiruto's own before moving to the boy's neck. Neji continued his ministrations further and soon Hiruto couldn't help but call out the other boy's name._

Hiruto opened his eyes, effectively ending the dream. He quickly dressed and prepared himself to heal Neji and then possibly himself. His chakra reserves were replenished, but the ninja's body still felt the whole of Neji's wrath.

As he walked into the living room Hiruto was met by Neji, sitting up on the couch, wearing a smirk that Hiruto couldn't explain and no shirt.

The medical jutsu quickly started to do away with the bruise. Hiruto attempted to focus on the task at hand, but couldn't help but think about the happenings of the dream.

"You talk in your sleep, by the way."


End file.
